Telephone call-register.



No. 837,951. PATENTED DEG.11, 1906. J. J. OGONNELL.

TELEPHONE CALL REGISTER. APPLIOATION FILED JULY19, 1902.

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"N d, .x837;951'. q 'PATENTED DEG. 11,- 1906.

J. J. OGONNELL.-\ TELEPHONE CALL RE mTER. APPLIOATION FILED JULY19, 1992.

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Joseph J 0'66004/4 PATEN TED DEC. .1 l

J. J. OGONNELL. TELEPHONE GA'LL REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULYIQ, 1902.

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IIIII/III/IIIIIII/I/III/A fi k k mm m no 0 av W a E mx k M. Y a J W l/lllllll llllllll/llllllll llllllllll dbIa/Ll whom it may concern Y invention relates 1o iste'i system especiall ELECTRIC, COMPANY, on CHIC flhninors.

'Be it known that I, JOSEPH J OCou- ,;'-"NELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State i 5 oilllinois, have invented a .certainnew and 'usefullmprovement in Telephone Call-Reg-.

isters', (Case No. 8,) oi'which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

to an automatic reg adapted for tele: phone-exchanges, the :0 ject being in general 'r to provide improved apparatus whereby the total number of calls registered upon a subci'ibers-servicerneter at a substation may kl and automatically read when de- {at't e central oflice. nac'cor'dance with my invention a counti ster each connection up to any desired numer The counting-train may be composed series of wheels' or 0 linders suitably ,geared;together,"-one wheel counting units, Kanother tens;'yand so "on and each wheel of f his counting-tr ain. may cooperate with. a 5 raveling transmitter m'eehanisrn, which is connected to control a circuit containing an indicating or recording device. When the transmitting mechanism is set in operation, thenuinber-registered by the counting-train" goiis transmitted over the circuit and read or" recorded at the distant station.

For example, if five hundred and forty-seven calls have been registered on the counting-train the transmitter might produce in the circuit 5 first five variations or signal impulses, then after-a short interval four, and after another interval seven, the device in the circuit at the distant point'being responsive to each "vibration. or irn ulse. The counting-train 0 may be arrange to be advanced step by 1 step by a suitable lever to be actuated 1nanu- F ally by the, subscriber when each connection is hador each call made, and the transmitter mechanism is preferably set in the act of registeringthe first (or any).call and released or I put in operation through the agency of an .yelectromaginet' controlled from the central sot office, at a reading may be had at any time after the first call without requiring the 5o. assistance. of the subscriber.

' A'feature of my invention of considerable value, 1s the construction by which the opera tlon ofthe transmitter ismade independent of. the movement of the counting device or fg-train is provided at the substation to regsnares arnn'r orrron.

arosnrn-Jfooonnnnn, or 'oHrcAco, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN rec, mirrors, A CORPORATION or TELEPHONE eatunseasrsn.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

.callregister,-so that repeated readings may be taken without changing the condition of the call-register. A deieelin former systems has been that in transmitting the number of calls registered at the substation the count ing-wheel was set back to zero, and if the line or recording mechanism were out of order or the signals not detected for any reason the record of calls was entirely lost. A further objection to prior systems has been that a separate impulse or signal had to'be transmitted for every call registered, so that the correct transmission of large numbers was attended by considerable diiliculty.

I will describe my invention more particu larly by reference to the accompanying drawings, and the "features or combinations which I re ard as novel will be set forth in tlie'appended claims. I Figure 1 is a diagiam illustrating a subscribers telephoncine extending from a substation to the usualconnection-terminal or spring-jack and line-signaling apparatus at a' central oihce, the substation being equipped with my improved call-register and the central oilice with means for taking the reading thereof. Fig. 2 is an elevation'oi the registering device at the substation. Fig. 3 is,,a vertical sectional view thereof, Fig. 4 is an elevation at right angles to Figl 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the manual ac tuating-lever in its depressed position. Fig. 6

The same characters of reference designate the same parts wherever they are shown.

The telephone-line extends in. two limbs 1 2 from the usual substation-telephone set to a spring-jack terminal and line-signaling apshown is such as is well known in t 1e art as that oiithe central battery relay-switchboard system and needs no detailed description The substation is provided with a servicemeter or connection-register which is designed for manual operation, the actuating slide bar a thereof being adapted to be pulled down by the subscriber to register the connection. The time when this act is to be performed depends upon the policy of the telephone company. In some exchanges a by the ceritral-oifice operator. In others the c arge will be made only when the desired connection is obtained or when .the called is a cross-sectional view on line 6 6 of Fig.2.

paratus at a central ofiicc. The eqluipment charge is made for each call that is answered 10 5 compliance by hearing in her telephone the characteristic sound of a buzzer, which can only be produced by the operation of the servof the counting-train.

ice-meter. v

The service ieter properthat is, the counting device u on which each connection is registered by t e pulling down of the actuating slide-bar acomprises a train of three counting wheels or cylinders e e 6 arranged to be rotated step by step, ten steps being necessary to a com lete rotation of each cylinder. The cylin ers e and e are connected by pin-and-ratchet movements in .a well-known manner with cylinders c and (2 respectively, so that when one cylinder completes a revolution the next cylinder will be advanced one stepthat is, one-tenth of a revolution. A pivoted actuating-lever f is connected by a pawl and ratchet to rotate the cylinder 6 through one step for each complete oscillation of the lever. The manuallyoperated slide-bar (b is provided with a roller M, which engages the leverf to move the same and hctuate the counting-train when the slide-bar is ulled down. As the slidebar returns the ever f is moved back by a spring f, completing its oscillation. Two contacts 0 c, controlling the telephone-circuit, are controlled by the slide-bar a. These contacts are normally closed together to complete the telephone-circuit, but are separated from one another to open the circuit when the slide-bar is moved down in making a registration. The buzzer dis included in a bridge of the line conductors 1 2, controlled by normally separated contact-springs 1: 0 When the actuating-leverf of the countingtrain reaches the limit of its movement in registering a call, a stud f carried thereby, strikes the spring 0 and moves it into contact with spring 0 thus closing the bridge containing the buzzer and so transmitting a signal over the line to indicate the operation The pulling down of slide-bar a, besides advancing the countingtrain, serves also to set a transmitter mechanism with which said counting-train cooperates and of which it, in effect, forms a part. Each of the cylinders e e e of the countingtrain is provided with a series of ten ribs g, which extendlongitudinally, as shown, all except one being toothed. One rib has one tooth, the next two teeth, the next three, and so on, the ninth having nine teeth and the tenth being simply a blank of the same thick ness as the toothed bars.

A traveling transmittcr-carriage It is arranged to slide longitudinally in suitable guides it 7/ along the three cylinders of the countingtrain to take the reading thereof. Said carriage is provided with a springreleased after having three blank ribs would be alined in the path of the carriage, Thearm t carries an insulated contact-stud a, which forms the terminal of wire 3 'and normally rests in contact with its anvil, which is mounteddirectl upon.

the grounded metallic framework of t e carriage h. When the carriage is moved along the uideway, the arm '5 as it passes over a toot. 1 upon one of the ribs 9 is raised and the contact of stud i with its anvil is broken, thus interrupting the circuit controlled bysaid contact. The carriage It is connected by a metal ribbon 7: with a drum-wheel k, which is arranged to be rotated by a spring-driven geartrain, so that the carriage is automatically returned to the upper end of its j onrney when lower end. To set t e'carriage, it 'is provided with a projecting pin h which is positioned to be engaged by a hook a,'carried b the slide-bar a, so that when the slide-bar 1s pulled down to effect a registration upon the counting-train the transnfitter-carriage h is also carried down, winding up the sprin which is attached to the drum-wheel it, an

. thus'setting'the transmitter mechanism. jAt" the lower end of its journey the transmitter been pulled, to 'the' carriage h is held by a detent b carried by the armature b of a magnet b. This ma et is included in a conductor 3, extending om the limb l of the telephone-line to the contact-stud i, and thence to earth through the framework of the apparatus. A shunt 4 is provided around the magnet controlled by the contacts 0' c and c e, interposed serially in said shunt. When the carriage is at the upper end of its journey, the stud hf opens contacts 0 c and when at the bottomthe contacts 0 c are opened; but while the carriage is making its journey the shunt is closed, so that the resistance of'the magnet I), which may be two thousand ohms, is removed from the circuit.

At the central ollicc the operator who is to take the readings of the subscribers servicemeters is-p1'ovided witl1 a special plug p, adapted for insertion in the spring-jack s of any line and having a key m associated therewith, which is arranged to complete the circuit through a source of current and a responsive device. The key m has three switchsprings in m m. Spring mis connected by conductor 5 with the tip of the plug 2), and spring m is connected to earth by wire 6, which inelud es a battery 0 and relay n. The switch-spring is normally in contact with an anvil m, which is connected to a grounded leased Wheneve i 50 for a long space as generator G, suitable for exciting the magnet When the key m is depressed, the switeh-.

spring m'is first brought into contact with sprin m throwing currentfrom generator to inc, and then as the spring moveson it carriesspring m away from theanvil m and over against spring m", so establishing the circuit of battery 0 through the relay n and out over the limb 1 offthe subscribers line, which is controlled at contact L. y The relay n controls a local circuit, including a recorder R, which may be an ordinary iireealarm-telegraph register. r

The operation of the system is briefly as I 5 follows: For eachu se of the telephone the [subscriber'is required to pull down the actuating slide-bar a of his service-meter. The first movement sets the transmitter-carriage hand registersthe connectionupon the counting-train,

slidebar 0/ simply actuate the countingtrain, the transmitter remaining set until re-' "1' it is desired to take the reading of the subscribers register, the oper-' ator, inserts the special plug p in the spring- "jack 8 of the line in question and depresses the key m. I Theqfirstmovement of this key connects the generator G with the line long fenough to energizeniagnet b andirelease the o"transmitter-carriage 71,1 and then cuts off the generator, leaving a circuit of battery 0 through relay n to the conductor 1 of the line and through branch 3, controlled by contact i. to earth. T .The magnet t is shuntec by eon- 5 ductor 4; at contacts 0 c as soon as the trans jinitter-carriage begins itsjourney. As the 'contact-armi travels over the toothed ribs g y. the circuit is alternately broken and made at contact i, thus .ticking off. the reading of 0 the counting-train. .Thus if five hundred.

and seven calls had been made up to the time the reading was taken the contact-arm "would find in'its pathfirst the five-toothed ribof cylinders next the long blank rib of ,cylinder 6, and finally the seven-toothed rib 1 ofcylinder e. Thus the ground-circuit would be first interrupted five times, then closed for an interval as the contact arm was passing 7 from one cylinder to another, then opened p the contact-arm passed over the blank rib of cylinder 0, then closed {or another rinterval as the contact-arm i passed from cylinder e to cylinder c, then interrupted seven times as th'e contact-a1 m passed overthe Seven-toothed rib of cylinder e and finally closed again as the transmitter reached theend of its ourney.

ing its local circuit 7, which includes the re- .66 reorder use that the readingof thesubscribers Subsequent a'ctuations of the Each time the circuit is opened the relay it responds by closreading thereof-that is, it has not been set back to zero. Taking the reading at the central office does not, therefore, involve the de: struction of the record already made at the subscribers station.

Having claim as new, Patent, the following:

1. The combination with a traveling transmitter mechanism, of a counting-tram comthus described my invention, I

prising rotatable cvlinders having teeth adapted to be introduced successively into the path of said transmitter mechanism and cooperating therewith, and a circuit including a responsive device controlled by said transmitter mechanism, whereby the number registered upon the train of counting-cylinders is transmitted to said responsive device, as described.

2. The combination with a counting-train e e e and 'a'lever for actuating the same, of a transnutter arm controlling a slgnal-circuit and mechanism for moving the said arm and desire to secure by Letters along the counting-train, and portions g g carried by the counting-train adapted to be engaged by said arm to determine the signal transmitted, whereby the reading of said counting-train may be taken at a distant point, as set forth. y

3. The combination with a telephone-line, of a connection-register at the substation thereof comprising train of counting-cylinders a each of said cylinders having teeth thereon for indicating the number registered, an actuating-lever for the counting-train, a traveling transmitter-arm adapted to move over the teeth of said cylinders and to cooperate therewith in the control of the circuit,

means for setting the. transmitter-arm at one end of its journey, n the actuationof the coun ting-train, a spring-driven gear-train for moving the transmitter-arm, a detentadapt- I ed to hold the'transmitter arm against movement by said gear-train, a releasing-magnet b in'the-circuit controlled-by said transmitterarm, adapted when excited to bring about the release of the arm, a key at a distant station controlling the circuit, a source of special current Gi'or energizing the releas1ng-mag'-- net temporarily applied to the circuit by said key, responsive device subsequently connected in the circuit by said key, whereby the reading of the counting-train may be taken by actuating said key.

4:. In combination, a series of tally-wheels each provided with a circumferential series of contact-surfaces representing characters, a traverser relatively movable across said wheels, an electric circuit including said traverser, means operating to make and break said circuit each time said traverser passes over one of said contact-surfaces; means for stepping the tally-wheels forward, and means for actuating the traverse.

and another source of current 0 and a 5. In combination, a series of tally wheels each provided'with a circumferentrally-disposed series of contact-surfaces correspond ing to the digits and arranged in groups, each group extending longitudinally of the series of wheels, transfer mechanism for actuating each tally-wheel except the first from the next of lower order, a ratchet mechanism for stepping forward the wheel, an electrical signaling device operatively connected with said ratchetlnechanism and whereby a signal is given each time time ol reading.

6. In a recording device for measured telecounting-cylinders,

having teeth thereon ber registered, an actuatin -lever for said counting-train and a transmitting device adapted to travel over the teeth of said cylinders in a direc tion parallel to the axes of said cylinders, an electrically-actuated recording units-tally J device at the central office, electrical connecl tions between the recorder and the register,

d means actuated solely from the central office for bringing said transmitting device cated on the into operation;

whereby; the number indiregister may be recorded at the central office'without resetting the register.

' recording apparatus for measured telephone service comprising a registering detral olfice an (1 electrical connections between said registering and recording devices which are actuated solely at record at the recording device I dicated by the central office to all the calls inthe sald registering device, said registering device comprising a train of (counting-cylinders, each of said cylinders inthe sewh alinement at the l ders and cooperate therewith 1n the control of the electri described.

cal connections, substantially as In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 19th day of June, A. D. 1902 htnesses DE WITT W. N L

JOSEPH J. OCONNELLI O. TANNER; EACH. 

